June 09, 2010

O'Hare car rentals soon to cost $8 more per day

Renting a car at O'Hare International Airport will cost at least $8 more per day starting later this summer after the City Council passed an ordinance to help fund the massive airport expansion.

Alderman today approved without dissent a measure backed by Mayor Richard Daley to charge the fee on rentals at O'Hare to cover the cost of a consolidated rental-car center needed to accommodate two new runways that are to be built as part of the O'Hare Modernization Plan.

City Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino said earlier this week that the fee will likely be around $8 each day on cars rented at O'Hare, but said she could seek to raise it considerably if the cost of the rental facility ends up being higher than anticipated.

The new fee, which should be in place by August, would go on top of an existing $2.75 flat fee and an
8 percent tax on O'Hare rentals.

The per-day rental fee at LAX airport in Los Angeles is $18, she said. The fee at O'Hare could also be lowered if the project is less expensive than estimates.

The city will begin discussions with car rental companies about how they want to get people from the facility to their terminals. A single bus system could be the answer, but Andolino said the project might include extension of the airport "people mover" rail system, which would drive up the price.

"We have to see what the market desires," Andolino said.

The car rental center at the southeast corner of Mannheim and Zemke roads would replace separate buildings operated by roughly a half-dozen rental car companies. The new facility on what is now Parking Lot F will cost $393 million, according to city estimates, and another $70 million for infrastructure improvements.

Daley administration officials also are lobbying Congress to raise the ticket tax charged to passengers for each leg of a flight. The maximum currently allowed is $4.50, which is the rate at O'Hare and Midway.

A rental fee of $3.75 per day has been assessed at Midway Airport since
2005 to pay for an as-yet un-built car rental facility there. Andolino
said there is no plan to change the fee at Midway.

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

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